New Wi-Fi Standard Promises Blazing Fast Data Speeds

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New Wi-Fi Standard Promises Blazing Fast Data Speeds

After nearly five years in draft, the next-generation Wi-Fi standard is set to be finalized in September. Officially known as 802.11n and often referred to as "Wireless N," the new standard paves the way for blazing fast high definition video and data at home.

Products based on the final 802.11 n standard could offer up to 600 Mbps connectivity speeds, plus the ability to have up to four simultaneous streams of high-definition video, voice and data through the house. The standard also promises easy backward compatibility, which means new devices will work smoothly with older products.

For consumers, the difference in speed and range will be palpable, says Will Strauss, an analyst with Forward Concepts. "Speed is everything and videos are the main driver for this technology," he says. "When you are home you want to get to YouTube fast and watch video and have a phone connection and surf."

The 802.11n standard is the successor to the 802.11g Wi-Fi protocol, which offers speeds of up to 54 Mbps. The 802.11n standard's most important addition has been the multiple-input multiple-output capability, also known as MIMO. MIMO allows for multiple antennas to resolve more information quickly.

Although 802.11n won't be final until next month, manufacturers have been making products based on a draft version of the standard for several years. These typically offer two or three channels to send and receive data or voice respectively. They also limit the overall speed to much less than the 600 Mbps that newer standard offers.

"So far we have had products based on the version of 802.11n that is fairly basic," says Kelly Davis-Felner, marketing director for the W-Fi alliance. "Now we are likely to see more devices that have all the bells and whistles in place."

Chip makers are racing to deliver on that promise. At the Computex show last month, Qualcomm introduced a chip that could make 802.11n a dream standard for users. Qualcomm's chip offers 4x4 transmit and receive capability, meaning that it uses four separate streams to distribute concurrent voice, video and data in either the 5GHz or 2.4 GHz radio bands.

"At the least we can get six times the speed of the current 802.11g standard," says Mike Concannon, senior vice president of connectivity and wireless modules for Qualcomm. "That means we can transmit high definition video across multiple rooms in a pretty large house with just one access point."

The chip, WCN 1320, is expected to be available in consumer devices, such as routers and set-top boxes, early next year.

Qualcomm competitors such as Broadcom and Atheros are fighting to catch up. The latter have chips based on the 802.11n draft standard but only with 2x2 or 3x3 MIMO capability, for either two or three simultaneous data channels.

Qualcomm's latest chip also promises coverage of a 4,000 square feet with a single access point, compared to the two or more repeaters or boosters that would be required to cover the same area with 802.11g products.

"The challenge with today's Wi-Fi is rate vs. range," says Concannon. "In your house if you are right next to the access point you can get really good data rate but if you go around the corner not so much." So if you have a McMansion or just a weird layout, that means adding repeaters or multiple access points to boost the range.

There is some fine print. The high speeds and MIMO capability work best only when devices such as notebooks and routers support it. Though the standard is be backward compatible, supporting older devices will cramp its style.

"To have true 4x4 MIMO capability, both ends of the connection need to support that feature," says Strauss. "The notebooks and desktops that we have today won't help."

Qualcomm says it is working with device makers to help bring the chips to upcoming products.